Coaches, scorekeepers and parents are encouraged to report youth sports events on this interactive blog. Selected reports will be used in print as the youth sports highlight of the day on the Plus section cover.

Youth sports for the week ending Oct. 15

To report your results, just add your report as a comment here. Look for information from the youth sports blog in the newspaper everyday. Check the daily youth sports highlight on the bottom left corner of Page 1.

In U11 Class 3 Boys Soccer, The Petaluma Rebels beat the West Marin Riot, 6-2. Bjorn Lustic and Juan Rodas scored the goals for the Riot. Elliot Dean, Antonio Mejia, and Skylar Sullivan played well in the midfield in the Riot’s Saturday game.

Frank – I have no direct knowledge of the Dixie Recreation soccer league or the program but based on your description it is appalling. Recreational soccer should be fun and competitively balanced. The worst thing that can happen in a Rec league is for one team to lose all their games. The next worst thing is for a team to win all their games. For the disparity that Frank describes in this league to exist, the draft had to be stacked. I see it happen much too often in recreational sports. The most common method to stack a team is by “locking” up players by designating a parent(s) of a top player(s) as assistant coach so they cant be drafted by other teams. Regardless of the method, there is something critically wrong with the situation in Dixie as described by Frank. Jim’s comments were well intentioned, however I do not necessarily agree. The girls on the team chose to play recreational soccer for a reason. The fault is not the girls choosing Rec soccer over class 1 (or select soccer), but the failure of the league administration and the coaches to make certain the team selection process created a balance in the skills of each team.

Youth Football San Marin Pop Warner
Redwood Empire Junior Football Conference, Division I

San Marin Pintos 14 San Francisco Seahawks 6

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
SM 6 2 0 6 14
SF 6 0 0 0 6

Novato (10/14/07) The San Marin Pop Warner Pintos maintained their unbeaten record, extending their win streak to 7 games with a victory over the SF Seahawks on Sunday. Kaleah Williams and Darius Peterson tackled the runner on 4th down to cause a turnover on downs deep in San Marin territory. Cameron Taylor carried the ball to mid-field. Peterson took the handoff, had a great cutback, and was off to the races with a 49 yard TD run. The Seahawks answered with a kickoff return for a score but that would be there last score for the day.

Taylor ran for 21 yards, then tacked on six more with half the SF team riding on his back. The Pintos drive stalled, but on defense, William Harrington recovered a fumble inside the red zone. The Pintos couldnt get into the endzone, and turned the ball over on downs. The defense wasnt done as Daronn McCall and Alexander Correnti tackled the runner for a safety with 1 second remaining in the half, and the Pintos took the lead.

In the 3rd quarter, Nicholas Nazarian recovered an incomplete lateral pass. Late in the 4th, Nazarian and McCall teamed up to stop the runner on 4th down. Peterson scored again from 22 yards out. The last SF drive ended when Taylor recovered a fumble.
________________________________________________

San Marin Colts 14 San Francisco Seahawks 6

1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
SM 8 6 0 0 14
SF 0 0 0 6 6

Novato (10/14/07) The San Marin Pop Warner Colts held off the SF Seahawks on Sunday and improved their record to 5-2. Facing 4th and inches, the Seahawks went for the 1st down, but were stopped by Jason Reyff and Quest Parham. Nick DeVere ran for 30 yards to the nine yard line, and a penalty tacked on 5. DeVere took the handoff, and ran 4 yards into the endzone. Ryan Hickey kicked the point after.

Anthony Giusti tackled the runner, forcing the Seahawks to punt. The Colts engineered a drive that included a 15 yard pass from Jared Goff to Parham, a 24 yard run by DeVere, and finally, a 1-yard blast up the middle by Giusti. Good coverage by Elian Sanchez-Bailetti forced SF into a 4th and long, and Matteo Capretta intercepted a pass to get the ball back. The Colts drive stalled, but Nathan Bozin and Giusti stopped the Seahawks drive as time ran out in the 1st half.

Kevin McEachern recovered a fumble to start the third quarter, but an interception stopped the Colts drive at the 5 yard line. SF scored with 2:32 remaining in the game. Their onside kick attempt failed to go 10 yards, and DeVeres running chewed up the rest of the clock.

The Marin Catholic freshman football traveled to San Ramon last week and defeated Daugherty Valley High School 14-0. The win upped the Wildcats’ record to 5-0 and was the third consecutive game in which the Wildcats defense recorded a shutout.

On October 14, the Tiburon Wildcats (U12G, Class 3) traveled to unfriendly territory and clinched the season series against the Petaluma Dare 3-1, with a tight 2-1 victory. After a scoreless first half, the Dare struck first with a long pass into the box and a deflection that barely squeezed past Wildcats goalie Francesca Tettamanzi into the far corner. Minutes later, Kelsey McCarthy answered from the left side on a pass from Kayla Bronzo, as McCarthy’s shot ricocheted off of the far post and into the goal. Following consistent pressure from Maddie Neukranz, Lani Tice, Elena Janney and Addie Ewald, McCarthy broke the tie with 10 minutes remaining on a high shot that soared past the Dare goalie and into the net. From there, the Wildcats defense of Sally Elton, Alex Robertson, Kate Mattimore and Tory Salmon held on tight, as Tettamanzi made several outstanding saves to preserve the victory. With the win, the Wildcats have secured 2d place in their flight, and they claw toward first next Saturday at McKegney field against the Sonoma Extreme.

The Mill Valley Arsenal Girls U-14 class III soccer team pitched a shut-out last weekend, winning two games 3-0 over the Napa Crushers and the Windsor Inferno. Forward Nicole Amyx led the scoring against Napa, notching two goals. Jenna Lea scored her second goal of the season to end the scoring. On Sunday, Mill Valley dominated Windsor, 3-0, allowing only two Windsor shots on Mill Valley goalie Anna Maher. Jane Lee and Sammy Novick each scored to spot Mill Valley a 2-0 first half lead. Caroline Fearon put the finishing touches on the win 5 minutes into the second half when she raced down the right side and launched a blast into the upper left corner for the 3-0 win. Caitlin Firmage and Grace Narlock anchored the defense keeping scoring threats to a minimum.

Amanda Jacoby scored two goals to lead the way for the under-13 Mill Valley Rockers, who defeated Napa 5-1 on Sunday.

The Rockers, a class 1 soccer team, also got goals from Alexa Robinson, Jamie Kerester and Lena Felton who converted a penalty kick. Napas only score was actually an own-goal by the Rockers, who advertently knocked in a Napa corner kick.

Mill Valley Revolution U-12 boys (Class 3) chalked up two more wins bringing their league record to 8-0-1. No team has scored on the Revolution in league play this season.
Saturday’s game in Fort Bragg against the Coast Riptide was won 4-0 with goals from Jackson Wong, Dylan DeCotis, Bret Bowyer, and Will Banks, who also had an assist.
Back at Bayfront Park on Sunday, the Revolution boys were on fire against the Tiburon Dynamite. Lorenzo Jordan scored a hat trick, Max Murray added a pair, and Bret Bowyer had a single for a final score of 6-0. Assists were provided by Pierre Hicks, Jackson Wong, Ian Bowyer, Will Banks, and Navid de Leede.

The North Bay Bombers U10 baseball team (www.northbaybombers.com) won the USSSA State Championship in dramatic fashion Sunday in Sunnyvale, generating 2-out, 5 run rally in the last inning to beat Rosevilles Hard 90 Phenoms 10-9. Trailing by 4 runs in the bottom of the 6th, Kyle Roach work a 1-2 count into a leadoff walk, fouling off a number of tough pitches. Things looked bleak however after the next 2 batters were retired, including a line drive by Scotty Sheron that could easily have been a double if not for a great play by the Hard 90 shortstop. Down to their last out with leadoff hitter Reid Gibbs at the plate, the rally started. Gibbs lined a single to left, and Ricky Clary followed with a clean base hit through the middle to load the bases. Paul Kunst plated Roach with yet another base, followed by an infield single and RBI by Mitchell Briggs to cut the deficit to 9-7, bases still loaded.

After a Hard 90 pitching change, up stepped clean up hitter Matthew Wilson. Needing a single to tie the game, Wilson drilled a 2-0 pitch deep up the right center gap. Mitchell Briggs, running from 1st base on the crack at the crack of the bat, was waved home. The relay throw short-hopped the catcher, who was unable to field it cleanly and Briggs was safe to win the game. Wilsons 3-run double capped an incredible 5 consecutive Bomber hits.

The North Bay Bombers went 4-0 for the tournament. Tommy Dobberstein, Joseph Jimenez , and Connor Roach made a number of outstanding individual defensive plays over the weekend to anchor the defense. Offensively, Chris George, Ryan Razavi, and Tommy Dobberstein stepped up with their best games of the year, each contributing multiple hits. Matthew Wilson was named the Tournament MVP.

MILL VALLEY U12 ROCKERS, Class 1:
Mill Valley lost another game this Sunday to Healdsburg, 0-2. The Rockers played with no substitutes due to injuries–and even down to 10 players for a short period–and could not sustain an effective offense, although mid-fielder Rachael Ferroni played very well and forward Candy Janachowski had several shots on goal.
Defensively, keeper Elizabeth Archer was unfortunately very busy against Healdsburgs attack but had several excellent saves, including blocking a penalty kick from the box.
The Rockers league record through Sunday is 1 win, 3 losses and 2 ties.

Every player in the Wolfpack had a great game this Sunday. Julian Albert and Jake Nogueiro led the defense, blocking numerous attempts on goal. Both Dylan Martin and Tyler Nettelman sped down the field to score a number of goals. Rishi Nachnani was on fire with goal after goal, including one from the sideline! Not to be outdone, Zoe Matheson was elated to shoot one in the net as well. The Princess Ponies came on strong in the second half when Claire Marshall and Brianna Rowland led the defensive line with their fancy footwork.

SACRAMENTO, CALIF., October 15, 2007 Marin Rowing Association kicked off the Fall 07 rowing season with a near sweep at the Head of the Port 5K Regatta held Sunday, October 14 in Sacramento. Marin crews placed first in four and second in three of seven races entered, besting squads from Los Gatos, San Francisco and Sacramento. Marin Rowing crews head to Boston this weekend to compete in the prestigious 43rd Annual Head of the Charles Regatta with the largest West Coast representation including 11 teams, 76 rowers and 11 coxswains.

Marin crews placing first at the Head of the Port include the Mens and Womens Masters 8+ and Masters 4+, with second-place finishes turned in by the Mens and Womens Junior (high school) 8+ Varsity crews and the Mixed Masters 8+. Marins Master’s Women 60+ boat placed 5th despite being at least 6 years older than any other boat in the race, which puts them in good position to medal in the 60+ category at Head of the Charles.

Were off to a very strong start, with all of our crews well-positioned for success in Boston, comments Sandy Armstrong, MRAs director and head coach for the Varsity Womens team. Our womens high school varsity squad placed second against four of last years lightweight national champions from Los Gatos, and ahead of 12 other crews, and our mens high school varsity squad was just five seconds behind first place Capital Crew, with the JV, 3V and 4V teams winning their contests. Our teams are showing strength and depth across the board.

Marins fall racing season also includes the Head of the American (Lake Natoma, 10/27), the Head of the Lagoon (Foster City, 11/11), the BIAC Fall Regatta (San Mateo, 11/18), and the River City Juniors (Sacramento, 12/01).

About Marin Rowing Association
Marin Rowing Association (named 2006 USRowing Club of the Year) is host to one of the premier rowing programs in the country, and is home to multiple national championship titles. Some 125 Marin County teens make up the varsity, junior varsity and novice teams, representing numerous Marin high schools including Redwood, Drake, Branson, San Marin, Marin Academy, San Rafael, Marin Catholic, the Marin School, Tam and Terra Linda. The Masters program consists of 200+ adults rowing for the advanced, master “B,” intermediate and beginning teams. Marin Rowing offers learn-to-row summer programs and clinics for both teens and adults. For more information on Marin Rowing Association, visit http://www.marinrowing.org.

The Ponys kicked it up a notch, last Sunday, against a fast Division 1team. The Pony defense team held the Sea Hawks to a small lead. Few yards were gained by Sea Hawks due to notable defenders: Kyle Albertini, Collin Moore, Taylor Myers, Jack Hazelton, Dylan Wheaton, Garrett Meier and Thomas Doherty.

The Offensive team had success with new plays. George Magana stepped-in to pass a 15-yd. touchdown pass to River Aguirre. Matt Wyrsch and Jeremy Sison were the strong blockers for the Offense, and each had tackles at defense.

The Novato defense, Angelo Lagomarsino, Daniel Dreher, Hunter Mevis, Stone Herrera, Joey Davis and Marcus Brown continued to swarm the Chargers offense. All in all it was another outstanding day for the Killer Bees.

The Mill Valley United boys’ U11 Upperhouse soccer team battled the Santa Rosa Rincon Valley Cougars to a 1-1 tie at Bay Front Park on Sunday October 14. United struck first on team-leading scorer Jake Horan’s breakaway shot in the first half and led for most of the game. United goalkeepers Jonas Chuday and Bix Hirigoyen combined to shut down the Cougars for nearly 50 minutes, as Mill Valley received strong defensive play from the always-reliable Ryan Felder and Garrett Miller. Jack Corvin and Riley Kuffner also played well in their midfield positions for United. During the furious second half, the Rincon Cougars scored a late goal to get the tie. This was MV United’s first home game after competing in the Santa Cruz Classic Tournament, where United battled against teams from Sonoma, Fair Oaks and Danville (Mustang). In United’s final tournament game against the Mustang Galaxy, it was “Jake-to-Jake”: Jake Isola-Henry providing the assist to Jake Horan, who scored a second-half goal to tie the game at 1-1. Fraser Wright and Jonas Chuday provided excellent field coverage for United. A late Mustang goal gave it the win, 2-1. MV United returns to Bay Front Park on Saturday October 20 at 10:30 am and Sunday October 21 at 3:00 pm.

Youth Football – Central Marin Pop Warner – Mitey-Mites (for 7, 8, and 9-year-olds).Sunday, October 14, 2007, at San Rafael High School.Central Marin Chargers 38 Novato Killer Bees 14.
Heavy rains limited practice time throughout the week and initially led to a mid-week cancellation of all Pop Warner games at San Rafael High School for the weekend. After the rains subsided on Saturday, however, Rosie Wendell and a consortium of other involved parents threw down the red challenge flag, prompting representatives from San Rafael City Schools to graciously reverse their earlier decision, allowing the games to go forward on Sunday.

It was early (some say too early) on the overcast, soggy morning when the two Mitey-Mite teams met at midfield to begin a day filled with football match-ups between the respective Novato and Central Marin Pop Warner programs. But, neither Mitey-Mite squad held back in the high-scoring affair.

Dedicated Charger parent, John Cassidy, once again served admirably as the home-game announcer. He was tested early but remarkably kept his emotions in check as his son, Michael Cassidy, returned the opening kickoff a bruising 45 yards, deep into Killer Bee territory. Cassidys mother and team photographer, Maryann Cassidy, flashed a proud smile but stayed focused on the sidelines as she rapidly clicked away throughout the game, yet again capturing all of the key moments for the team.

Shortly after Cassidys thrilling return, Charger tailback, Sean OKeefe, powered over the goal line for the first touchdown of the day behind stellar blocking from his offensive line, including reliable workhorses Weston Ruhland, Dylan Middleton, Jesse Alonso, and Kieran Watters.

On the next offensive series, Charger racehorse, Gage Wendell, once again displayed his awesome raw talent as he out-sprinted the Killer Bee defense on a lightening-quick 65-yard run for a 160 Charger lead.

But the Killer Bees buzzed back quickly with a touchdown to answer the Charger onslaught, cutting the Chargers lead to 168 at the end of the first quarter.

The two teams continued to trade blows as the Chargers offense unleashed yet another weapon in its arsenal, striking back through the air this time for another touchdown. Passing is almost unheard of at the Mitey-Mite level, but in the second quarter, the Chargers looked to sure-handed Charger receiver, Brady McCallister, who caught two passes on consecutive plays for a total of 60 yards and a dramatic touchdown. First, while on the run near mid-field, multi-talented Charger, Mitchell Penaflor, threw a strike to McCallister, who then rambled for considerable extra yardage before the Killer Bees swarmed in and dragged him down at the 15-yard line. On the very next play, Charger field marshal, quarterback Simon Wright, called upon McCallister again. A wary Killer Bee defender broke well on the ball for a near interception but only managed to tip the ball. McCallister, displaying his impressive powers of unflinching concentration, came away with the catch and left the Killer Bees trailing in amazement as he scampered the remaining few yards for the first touchdown of his budding career. At that point, the Chargers led 248 and the clock began to wind down toward halftime.

However, as time ran out on the last play of the first half, the Killer Bees caught the Charger defense off guard and stung them badly again with a 70-yard touchdown run. The Chargers led at the midway point 2414.

At halftime, the Chargers ceded the field to an adorable cheerleading squad, who mesmerized the crowd, executing routines and cheers to perfection as they set their sights on the local cheerleading competition that will be held Saturday, October 27, 2007, at the Marin County Civic Auditorium.

Meanwhile, the Chargers huddled in the end zone to regroup and plan for the second half. Chargers head coach, Art Penaflor, and defensive coordinator, Ray Buddie, were obviously rankled by the last-second Killer Bee score. And, with a fervor and delivery reminiscent of the great Vince Lombardi, the two coaches called upon the Charger defense to shut out Novato in the second half. After a rousing cheer, the re-energized Charger defenders took the field with a vengeance vowing to answer the call. Defensive stalwarts, Jake Bozzard and Kevin Quigley, spearheaded the gauntlet as the Charger defense stifled the Killer Bees for the remainder of the game.

In a hard-fought, scoreless third quarter, Charger defenders, Cooper Weingart, Clayton Holmes, Jordan Toy, and Dylan Middleton, completely shut down the middle of the field, while Charger defensive backs, Jared Hirigoyen, Rusty ONeil, and Ryan OKeefe, who let their presence be known early and often throughout the game, were especially menacing in the second half. Each player made critical, bone-crunching tackles that raised oohs and ahhs from all corners of the packed stadium.

In the fourth quarter, the Chargers offense leaned heavily upon fullback Seth Dramen, who did not disappoint as he amassed many tough yards and finally bulled his way over the goal line on 4th-down-and-goal-to-go. His father, Miron Dramen, who dutifully manned the down-and-yardage marker during the game, temporarily abandoned all impartiality as he galloped alongside the play, cheering wildly and repeatedly pumping the 4th-down marker high into the air as his son plowed over the goal line. The Chargers led 3214.

To close out the scoring, the elusive and speedy Charger, Gage Wendell, struck again with another 45-yard race to the end zone. In perfect conformity with his season-long modus operandi, Wendell victimized several would-be tacklers on the play with an ankle-breaking cutback near the line of scrimmage before he out-sprinted the remaining defenders all the way to the pylons.

Charger kicker, Sael Araujo, again demonstrated consistency and accuracy rarely seen at such a young age. Araujo contributed eight points to the Chargers total by converting all four of his point-after-touchdown attempts (each P.A.T. kick is worth two points at the Mitey-Mite level). Noteably, in an unusual reversal of sequence, on Araujos final PAT conversion, Araujo fielded the snap directly from the center, pitched it forward to the holder, and then, without missing a step, split the uprights with ample distance to spare.

During the post-game celebration, scrappy, fun-loving Charger defender, Kelsey Donlan, was spotted accepting congratulations from his adoring fans while donning a wild, blue and yellow Halloween wig. He, along with his offensive-lineman brother, Aiden Donlan, contributed mightily to the team’s win.

With the 3814 victory, the Chargers head into a much needed bye-week before the final regular-season game on the road in Vacaville on Sunday, October 28th. The following week, on November 3rd, the Chargers advance to the post-season Mitey-Mite Bowl at American Canyon, with opponents and times to be announced.

You are so right! Check out the standings and goals for and against. I think that it is clear who has stacked teams! In case you can’t dechipher, Praun’s team has scored 31 goals and given up ONE, another Dixie team has scored TWO goals and given up 18. I hope that this can be corrected. Also Mill Valley in the BU14 division has a super team and a team that is winless. The winless team has scored 3 goals this season while has had 45 against. Shame on Mill Valley; this is not what rec. soccer is supposed to be.